The police department said the victims were 55-year-old James Lemuel Williams of Richlands and 49-year-old Manuel Melendez Flores of Jacksonville.

Another man was hurt but is expected to recover.

Fire Department Battalion Chief David Hines said the men were unloading concrete vaults from a flatbed truck when the boom on the backhoe hit a power line. Hines said the backhoe became energized, which energized the wet ground where the men were.

The city said the men were working with East Coast Contracting of Wilmington. The city hired the company for drainage improvements in the area.